The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-25
WAS SHE BURIED ALIVE?
A REMARKABLE STORY TOLD To
THE POLICE.

-~-----
Mrs. Brown Says Her Child Was
Buried Alive, Though a Colored
Watcher Claimed to Have Found
Signs of Life in the Body Just Before
Her Husband Says His Wife
Imagines 1t ALL
From the New York World
A very singular instance of possible sus
pended animation, which may prove to be
horrible case Of burial alive, was reported
at police headquarters yesterday. Mrs
Brown, the wife of William Brown, OF No
1876 Greene street, laboring under great ex
citement, came to headquarters yesterday
and asked for doctor She told a strange
story
Emma Brown, the S-year-old daughter OF
Mrs. Brown, a beautiful child, had during
the past six months wasted away to a mere
skeleton because Of a protracted sickness,
which had kept the little one in bed almost
all that long period. Of late the suffering:
of the child from pain in her limbs and body
had been excruciating at times, and these
sufferings greatly hastened her emaciation
and ultimate death
During her sickness the girls face as,
sumed the appearance of marble, and at
intervals presented a most death-like color
and immobity, which greatly startled her
parents and all who came in contact With
her. AT such times her breathing was i'm.
perceptible, and could only be detected by
the closest scrutiny in bending over the
little wasted body.
'Murder Murder" was the startling ex.
clamation that came from the little suffer-
er's room last Friday afternoon, as her
mother was busy about her housework The
fbfA ha1 lafN fka, lxve
few minutes before, hastened to the bed
side where the child, who was greatly
weakened from her cries, said, Mamma,
they are numbering me.n At that moment
her sufferings were terrible, and her
writings and groans were painful in the
extreme for the poor mother The child
repeatedly cried out that she was being
killed and uttered other incoherent expires.
slons. She continued to rave and groan and
twist her little body into contortions for
fully half an hour AT last her sufferings
were to all appearances over, and, with
few convulsive gasps, she fell back upon the
pillow a corpse.
Several hours after what appeared to be
death the neighbors remarked how life-like
in appearance the face was, many saying
that she must be only asleep, Believing
that it was only a case of suspended anima,
ton, no preparations for burial were made
until yesterday morning, although watchers
had been beside the bed since breath was
supposed to have left the body. After the
body was placed in a casket an old colored
woman named Catherine Wicis, who lives
in the same house, sat beside the casket
about noon yesterday. Suddenly she was
startled by hearing a sound emanating
from the coffin. She stopped and listened
again when the same sound greeted her
second time, appearing to come from the
child's chest. The woman was certain she
heard rattling sound in the little throat,
as if made by the passage of air.
The old colored woman then recalled the
common test for discovering the presence.
Of life or death with the aid of a mirror.
Procuring a small hand glass, she held il
over the childs mouth, and moment later
she was Mortified to find at there was 8
coating Of breath on the glass She told
Mrs. Brown that she believed the child was
alive, and the mother at once ran for a
doctor, but none could be found Shortly
afterward the undertaken came, and he said
that he could detect no signs of life. The
lid Of the collin was then screwed down, the
services were held and the body was placed
in the Maple Grove Cemetery, on Long Is
land.
Whether or not the child was buried alive
is not yet known, but the mother is strongly
of the impression that it was still alive, al
though her husband says that his wife is
laboring under nervous excitement and
imagines all she says. The child was treat
ed for sciatic rheumatism by Dr. Smith, OF
the Northern Dispensary.